Questions & Answers
by MusicalLife13
Summary: What would you do if everything you thought you knew about yourself turned out to be completely different? Would it change others' opinions of you? Would it change your own actions? Two members of our favourite team are about to find out something about themselves that they never expected...
1. Letters

A/N: I'm back! Well, it's taken a few weeks, but I wanted to get a few things taken care of before I published something totally new. For my own sanity, I needed to get the plot completely laid out (I'd had a rough outline for ages, but was stuck on some transitions) and the first few chapters written before offering it up to you all. I'm also hoping to get a fair chunk written out over the Christmas Break (4 more sleeps!). Just as a heads-up, I have taken a few liberties with our characters, most of which will be outlined in this chapter. Anyway, here we go again! :)

************ 1 ************

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Jess and Abby! Happy birthday to you!"

The two girls in question giggled as their friends and co-workers serenaded them at the pub on the day they turned 23. When they had first found out that they shared a birthday, many jokes had been made at their expense. Matt had laughed about them being kindred spirits, Lester had commented about their astrological signs indicating they were crazy, and Connor had joked about them being separated at birth. And Becker had just shaken his head good-naturedly and smirked.

Abby and Jess were surprisingly similar, as they'd discovered over the course of living together for a year with Connor. While Jess' skills were more similar to Connor's, her tastes were much more in tune with her blond friend's. The girls had spent a lot of time bonding over films, music and general interests.

So when Emily had suggested going out for a drink on their birthday, neither woman had hesitated to agree with the idea. The plan grew far more than expected, with half of the ARC joining in for the festivities. But secretly, (something they'd only confessed to each other earlier that day), both Abby and Jess were looking more forward to the following night.

Connor had taken it upon himself to organize a very small gathering for the core team of 6 to celebrate the girls' birthdays, including a quiet dinner at their favourite restaurant, a night of bowling, billiards and laser tag, and finally gifts back at Becker's flat where they would all more likely end up staying.

So when Jess arrived home later that night to find the plain, large brown envelope lying on the floor inside her door, she was immediately curious and suspicious. The others were coming by as soon as they were done for a post-pub drink, so she'd slipped out a few minutes early to make sure her flat was presentable (something that had been made much easier since Connor had moved out). Now, twenty minutes later, she stood staring at the envelope on the counter, a feeling of dread pooling for no apparent reason in her stomach as she gazed at the cursive writing on the front.

_'Isabella' & Grace'_

She hoped that it was just paranoia from working with Matt and Becker for the last two years; they were suspicious about everything. But something in her heart told her that there was trouble brewing. Luckily, she didn't have any more time to think on it.

"Jess?" Abby's voice rang out clearly in the flat as she came in without knocking. She and Connor had moved out months ago, but Jess had insisted that they keep a copy of the flat key for emergencies. While there hadn't been an emergency to use it for, it was still well broken-in. Abby walked into the main living space and found Jess looking at the counter. "You ok?"

Jess said nothing, and waited for Abby to join her. When she did, and saw what Jess was looking at, her expression changed to match. "What's this?" she asked.

"It was on the floor when I came in," Jess answered, hoping that Abby would catch on to what she actually wasn't saying.

Abby turned to her with a narrowed gaze that Jess knew wasn't actually directed at her. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Abby carefully lifted the envelope up and tilted it to examine it. After a few seconds of thoughtful glances, she put it back on the counter. "We need Becker," she commented.

"We need Becker," Jess repeated.

"He'll be here soon. They were just parking a minute ago."

True to her word, the rest of the team entered the flat a few minutes later, with Connor leading the way and Becker bringing up the rear. He closed the door behind him and turned to the kitchen. One look at the matching expressions on the girls' faces had him striding over to gently touch Jess' shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Abby quickly explained about the envelope, but he had it in his hands and was turning it over before she finished. He raised it to look at it under the kitchen light, laid it back on the counter to gently and carefully test its thickness with his fingers, and raised it to his ear to see if there were any sounds coming from it.

After a good five minutes had passed, he turned to his blue-eyed friends. "It's clean," he stated, watching as Abby let out a relieved breath. "I think there's a few pieces of paper in there, but that's it."

Abby shot him a grateful smile as Connor and the others moved closer. Emily saw the subject of discussion and spoke.

"Who are Isabella and Grace?"

Abby turned to her. "They're mine and Jess' middle names."

"But why would someone send you both a letter with that on the front?" Matt asked, his protective instincts kicking in the way Becker's already had. Abby shrugged her shoulders in response.

Jess had been uncharacteristically quiet since the others had entered the flat. Now, as questions without answers arose, she turned away from them all and walked into her room. She could hear the group still speaking in soft tones and assumed that they hadn't noticed her leave. Jess sat down on the edge of her bed, facing the window, and let out a deep sigh.

"Hey." She turned to see Becker leaning into her room, concern all over his face. "You ok?"

Jess shook her head slightly after a moment and he took that as his cue to come in and sit next to her. He always hated when she seemed quiet and lost, so unlike the Jess they all knew and loved. But he had learned that when she was upset, it was better to just wait until she was ready to talk. So that's what he did. Becker reached out and took her small hand in his large, calloused one, and gently smoothed his thumb over the back of it as he waited for her to speak.

"Something doesn't feel right," she whispered eventually. He looked at her quizzically and waited for her to continue. "I just have a really bad feeling about what we're going to find in that envelope. I know you said it's fine, physically, but there are other kinds of danger," she confessed. "And I'm really scared of what's in there."

Becker squeezed her hand reassuringly as she raised her gaze to his. He still wasn't very adept when it came to emotions (which was the only reason Jess didn't already know he was in love with her) but he'd gotten much better at offering comfort in his two years of knowing her. Especially when she was directly involved.

"I can't imagine what you're thinking right now," he started. "But I promise you that everything will turn out ok. It may take a while, but it will." He gently reached up with his free hand and stroked her cheek. "And whatever it is, you won't have to do it alone. We'll be there every step of the way." He paused. "I'll be there every step of the way," he vowed.

The smile she gave him wasn't up to her usual brilliance, but under the circumstances, he was just glad to see her do it. She nodded and squeezed his hand back as he pulled her into his embrace and softly pressed a kiss to her forehead. Jess indulged in letting him hold her for a little bit longer before pulling back as he helped her stand. Keeping her hand grasped firmly in his, he led her back out to where their friends were waiting.

Everyone looked up when they entered the room again, and Jess immediately met Abby's eyes to give her a quick nod. The girls moved to stand next to each other at the counter, with Matt and Emily on the opposite side. Connor stood, as expected, close to Abby's other side, while Becker released Jess' hand and stood behind her with one hand on her shoulder and the other resting at the small of her back.

Jess took a deep breath, reached out and tore open the envelope. Tilting it to dump the contents onto the counter, they all watched as a folded piece of paper and several other documents floated facedown to the marble surface.

Abby reached for the folded piece and opened it up. She looked up at Jess before doing anything else. Feeling Becker's hand warm on her shoulder, Jess met Abby's eyes and nodded again. Abby took a deep breath and began to read.


	2. Truths

************ 2 ************

'January 24th 2009

My dearest daughters,

If you're reading this, then I'm no longer with you, and for that I'm sorry. I know you probably don't believe that since I gave you up so many years ago, but I am. It was never something I relished in doing (even now as I write this), but being a mum to twins at 15 was something that I just wasn't ready for. Neither was your father.

Before you ask, which I'm sure you will, I never told your father about you. We were together for 13 years and have been separated for 9 now, but at the time we'd only been together a few months. Even if I told him now, he'd never forgive me, and would abandon his life's work to search for you. And I just can't allow that because there is still much to do, for both him and I.

You're probably also asking why I waited until now, on your 23rd birthday. Why not a more momentous one? Well, to be honest, it's because I knew for a fact that you hadn't found each other by 21. But I had a very strong feeling that you would have by now. How did I know? Because I actually had the chance to meet one of you when you were 20.

My dear Isabella, you are such a caring and fiery person. I recognized you right away, the minute I laid eyes on you. You're like me in a sense: always going after what you want. I know that you are doing what you're meant to be doing with your work, and that you'll end up just as happy in your personal life with someone who complements you well.

Darling Grace, I wish I could have known you personally too, but I've followed your progress since you were very young. Your intelligence reminds me of your father, but your inquisitive nature will take you farther than he ever got. I know that you've probably often felt that you don't have a place, but if you haven't found it yet, I know you will soon.

I wish I had been able to keep you two together, but a request like that was very difficult to fulfill. I can only hope that the families who took you in were kind to you and treated you as their own. I'm so proud of both of you for the wonderful women I know you're on your way to becoming. And I know that despite not knowing that you're related, you will be very close; you're far too similar and special to be separated for too long. Take care of each other.

I love you both,

Your Mother'


	3. Gifts

A/N: One last update before 2014 begins! Just a gentle reminder to everyone about the A/N from Chapter 1 - I have taken liberties with our characters in this story. I am fully aware that Sarah is Abby's middle name (and actually mention that in this chapter) and that she is older than Jess, but I'm making some minor changes to fit the story to my plot. Ah, the beauty of Fanfic. ;) Anyway, there will be a lot more small changes made to our characters' backgrounds in the future, so if it's not your cup of tea, you might want to turn back now. I'm not trying to be mean or turn away readers, but I know that some people don't like their favourite characters being messed around with. Since I plan to do a little of just that, consider this your warning. For all the rest, I give you chapter 3. Happy New Year!

************ 3 ************

Silence reigned in the kitchen when Abby put down the letter. Everyone was trying to process the information they'd just been slammed with. But once the words started to sink in, the questions began.

"Sisters?" Emily queried, summing up everyone's thoughts in that one word. All eyes were on the two blue-eyed women in the room, both of whom looked as if they'd just been punched in the gut.

Abby was looking out the window in a daze. She'd always felt close to Jess but was having a hard time reconciling the fact that they were sisters. Connor had wrapped his arm around her shoulders but couldn't find it in him to offer any verbal comfort.

Becker's eyes hadn't left Jess from the moment Abby had started reading. Now he watched as she stared blankly at the letter, tears in her beautiful blue eyes. Wordlessly, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple.

That seemed to snap her out of her trance. She glanced at him as he pulled back, but then turned her attention to her friend. Her sister. "Abs?"

Abby turned at the sound of her voice and the girls moved to stand directly in front of each other. It was only then that everyone (them included) started to see the resemblance.

Abby took it in that the shape of their eyes was close to identical. Connor noticed that their noses were strikingly similar. Becker saw the heart-shaped faces. Matt could see their physical shapes were a lot more alike than previously thought. Emily realized that they had the same ears and flat-footed height. And Jess finally clued into the fact that while she had fuller lips than Abby, their soft smiles were the same; which they both showed off just before reaching out for a hug.

While the girls stood to the side, their friends started to look at the other papers on Jess' counter. The first thing they saw was a pair of birth certificates; one reading 'Isabella Abigail Sarah Thomas' and the other reading 'Grace Jessica Catherine Thomas'. The other sheets on the table were more baby information, including hand and footprints, along with two sets of adoption papers, one for each sister.

Jess and Abby had broken apart while the documents were being examined, and now rejoined their friends by the counter. Despite the mass confusion at the situation, everyone had a bit of a giggle at the tiny prints that belonged to the girls.

"But I don't fully understand," Emily began after a moment. "How could you not know you were sisters? Why did you not grow up together?"

Jess and Abby exchanged a look before turning to their friend. "We both knew that we'd been adopted as babies," Jess explained. "Neither set of our parents kept that from us, and had actually offered to help us track down our birth parents if we wanted…"

"It's actually something that we bonded over when we first met, but didn't feel the need to go searching," Abby finished. "I never in a million years would have thought we were twins."

"Looks like you're still the baby of the bunch too, Jess," Connor teased. "Abby was born at 4:35am and you were born at 6:20am."

"Damn, I was hoping I was the older twin," Jess commented dryly, eliciting chuckles from the group.

"I wonder why your mum decided to send you the letter," Becker said quietly.

"Yeah, I mean there's no real reason for her to contact you, especially since she already seems to know so much about you both," Matt added.

"You even got the meet her, Abs," Jess said softly. "I wish I had…"

"But I didn't even know that I had," Abby said, the sadness that had appeared in her eyes turning a bit angry. "She never said anything to me about who she was!"

"So maybe it's time we figured it out," Jess said to her. "Maybe it's time we looked into who our parents really are." She reached out and clasped the blonde's hand in her own. "We have a bit of a start already," she told her, motioning to the pages on the table.

"We'll all help, if you'd like," Emily offered, the others nodding in agreement.

Abby shot them all a smile and gave Jess' hand a squeeze. Jess gave her a soft smile in response, but Becker noticed that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. His protective instincts kicked in, and he knew he'd be talking to her away from the others soon.

Luckily he didn't have to wait long. The appearance of the letter had drastically changed the light-hearted mood they'd all come in with. So now that the girls seemed relatively ok, everyone started taking their leave. Matt and Emily left first, promising to help research with them the next day. Abby had settled a bit, and after a hug with both Jess and Becker, she and Connor headed for home.

Jess closed the door after them, and gasped as she turned back to find herself being enveloped by Becker's warm embrace. Her body tensed for only a second at the surprise of his action before she breathed in the faint scent of aftershave and gunpowder. Her own arms went around his back as she felt one of his hands stroke her hair.

"What can I do?" he asked.

She smiled into his chest. "You're already doing it." She could practically hear him smile, and nestled herself as close to him as she could. After a blissfully quiet moment, she pulled away enough to look up into his concerned eyes. "Would you…" she started, a deep blush darkening her cheeks as she tried to get out her request.

"What?" he asked, bringing one hand up to stroke her cheek.

Jess took a deep breath and steadied her voice as best she could. "Would you mind staying here tonight?" His gaze never faltered from hers the way she expected, so she explained. "I have a guest room, but I just don't really want to be alone right now."

He gave her one of those gentle smiles that made her insides melt and his grip on her waist tightened a bit. "As you wish," he replied with a wink and no hesitation. She smiled back at him and they walked over to the couch without another word. He sat himself down with his legs up on her coffee table, and she curled herself up against his side. She started to get comfortable, but he suddenly shifted. "Wait," he said as he jumped up and went for his jacket.

Jess nearly leapt away from him, ready to hide her flaming cheeks and ramble her way through am explanation of her boldness, when she realized that he was searching his coat pocket for something. She watched him, confused, for a moment before he returned to her side on the couch. In his hand was a small, wrapped box. Jewelry-box small. She started to ask about it, but he beat her to it.

"I know we're supposed to be doing gifts tomorrow at mine," he started, "but I was hoping to give this to you without the others around."

Now she was really confused, but she kept her expression curious as she accepted the small gift. She carefully peeled off the red paper and silver ribbon to find a robin's egg-blue box inside; one with three words on it that every woman should see at least once in her lifetime. Her jaw dropped and she started to shake her head. "Becker," she whispered. "I can't accept this, it's too much."

"Yes, you can," he countered, pressing the box firmly into her grasp.

She gazed up at him, her blue eyes impossibly wide. He nodded reassuringly and she turned her attention back to her gift. With shaking hands, she removed the lid to find a famously familiar bracelet inside. Jess reached in and ran her finger along the toggle, chain and the small words engraved on the heart charm, her head shaking softly as she did. "It's too much," she repeated as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm not worth all this."

At her words, he reached out and lifted her chin to meet her timid gaze with his own steady one. "Yes, you are." He paused to let his words sink in. "You're worth this and so much more."

Both pairs of eyes widened at his words: his because he couldn't believe he actually admitted that out loud, let alone to her, and hers because she'd never expected him to say something like that about her. She gave him a watery smile and called on a bit of her earlier boldness for what she did next. Gathering all of her courage, Jess leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his mouth.

When she pulled back, he was gazing at her with an expression she'd never seen in his eyes before. Before she even had time to start deciphering its meaning, or to go beet red from her own actions, he'd closed the distance between them and kissed her with enough pressure that she knew it wasn't an accident and was more than just a thank-you kiss.

The kiss stayed soft and loving, both of them holding back so as not to scare off the other. When they pulled apart a moment later, Jess' free hand was wound around his neck, while Becker's had found its way around her waist to hold her close. He gently ran his fingers along her jaw as she smiled sweetly at him, earning a grin in reply. "Thank you," she said, grasping the box tightly. "It's beautiful."

"I know it's not as bright as some of the jewelry you wear—" he began, but was cut off quickly by her fingers placing themselves on his lips.

"It's perfect," she assured him. Pulling her hand away as he pressed a gentle kiss to her fingers, her gaze became shy. "Would you?" she asked, holding up the box a bit. He smiled and removed the bracelet from its packaging, carefully fastening it on her slender wrist before taking her fingers in his and examining it. "See?" she said, drawing his eyes to her face. "Perfect."

They held their stare for a moment longer before he moved closer to press a lingering kiss on her soft lips. Then, pulling her back down to nestle at his side, he wrapped his arms around her and let her head rest on his chest, over his heart. He ran his fingers through her long hair, feeling her relax and eventually fall asleep ensconced in the warmth of his arms.

But despite the peace he felt at her acceptance of both his gift and he himself, Becker couldn't fall asleep. He waited for the calm to steal over him, but it didn't for a very long time. He couldn't quite place the slightly uncomfortable feeling he had. His years of military training had heightened his senses, and he could always tell when something was a bit off. Tonight, he felt that as Jess lay sleeping in his arms.

Tonight, it almost felt like someone was watching them.


	4. Kisses

_A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sooo sorry that this took so long to get online! I've been dealing with some fairly serious health issues over the last little while, and it's really gotten in the way of my writing. Also, this is the third time I've tried posting this chapter in as many days (anybody have any idea what's been going on with the FF site lately?). In any case, with falling behind a bit while wanting to stay a couple chapters ahead writing-wise, the updates for this story might take a little longer than I'd like, but I'll do what I can to get back on track. Hope everyone had a great start to 2014! :)_

************ 4 ************

Jess shifted in her sleep, trying to shield her eyes from the light using her pillow. She let out a soft sigh as she buried her face further into the firm cloth beneath her cheek, feeling something gentle run through her hair.

Wait…since when did she have a firm pillow that smelled so good?

Her eyes opened nervously as her half-asleep brain tried to recognize the scent in the air. A microsecond before her eyes opened, the fog lifted.

Becker.

She was curled up tightly against him, and she could feel his fingers running through her hair, as well as his steady heartbeat under her cheek. The hand that wasn't in her hair was holding her tight to him by her waist and his breath gently brushed the top of her head. Her right arm was curved between their sides, and her left hand (with Becker's beautiful gift still safely fastened on her wrist) was resting on the warm muscles of his stomach underneath his shirt.

And suddenly she was very reluctant to move. She forced her breathing to stay steady as she relaxed her body again. After a moment, she let out a slightly deeper sigh and felt his chest rumble under her ear.

"I know you're awake, Jess." His amused voice was lower than usual, bringing a shiver to her body. Cursing her lack of acting talent, she moved a bit to raise her face to see him. His hazel eyes were a bit heavy, but he was smiling down at her. She sent him a soft smile in return, which widened as he leaned in to press his lips to hers in a feather-light kiss. Her grin widened as she pressed herself even closer to him and started to give herself completely to the kiss.

Jess made a soft sound in the back of her throat as Becker's tongue carefully skimmed along her lips, and she easily opened up to him. Her fingernails under his shirt grazed his skin as she slid her arm further around his waist, and she felt him tense under her touch. The hand that had been running through her hair now gripped the base of her neck, holding her firm against his body as the kiss grew deeper.

Jess' head was spinning. Becker's kiss was making her world turn on itself, and she knew that she had to pull away – for lack of oxygen, if nothing else – but she just couldn't find it in her to stop. She raked her fingernails up his back under his shirt, causing him to stiffen and groan as he kissed her harder. Becker lowered his lips to her neck and mouthed at her throat and collarbone. Jess let out a gasp as she felt his fingers drift to her waist, his thumbs skimming her ribcage and the underside of her breasts. He carefully leaned over her so she was pressed up against the back of the couch and she felt him lift her leg to his hip. She moaned as he pressed himself into her body, and she could feel every solid line of his frame. She rocked her hips into him and felt him grow harder as he replied in kind to her movement. His arms went around her tightly, and a few seconds later she felt herself being slid towards a laying position. His lips were getting more insistent as he loomed over her, still kissing her more passionately than she'd ever been kissed before, and Jess couldn't help but respond by gasping and pulling him down with her as she hooked the leg that he'd lifted around the back of his thigh.

All of a sudden, Becker wrenched himself away from her mouth and bolted for the window. Jess let out a cry of surprise as she whirled to watch him. He was searching for something outside, and she could see his worried reflection in the window. She struggled to get her heart rate down and her breathing settled as she waited for him to turn back to her. He did after a moment, and she could see his chest still heaving from their kiss.

She also now saw the slight tinge of red in his eyes as well as the beginnings of the dark circles underneath them. Her worrying nature sprang to life, and she had moved to his side before she even knew what she was doing. "Becker?" she asked, curious.

"I've had this feeling that we were being watched most of the night," he admitted.

Her eyes widened as her brain did the math. "Did you sleep at all?" He shook his head and the frown on her face deepened. She drew him into a hug so they could both look out the window, but he tensed under her grasp and started to pull away almost immediately.

"Maybe we shouldn't with them watching…" he started, but she wasn't having any of it.

"If they've been watching us since last night, then this is something they've already seen," she stated logically. "No point in trying to backpedal now." He held himself against her stiffly for a few seconds more before bending to her logic and relaxing a tiny bit in her arms. After a moment, Jess pulled her body away from his and moved to the side of the window. He looked at her, confused, and she reached for his hand to draw him away from the couch. "Come on," she ordered.

"Where?" he asked, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn.

She smiled at him. "You're going to get some sleep," she told him as she led him to her bedroom. The curtains were already drawn so she didn't have to leave his side. When she turned back to face him, his eyebrow was higher on his forehead than she could ever remember seeing it. She let out a light laugh at his assumption. "No, Captain, you're sleeping alone for now." As his brown returned to normal, she giggled, but stopped quickly when his face grew serious.

"What about you?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to have a shower and then call the team to see if we were the only ones being watched last night. Then I'll check in remotely with work, all from the comfort of my couch," she finished with a cheeky grin as she pushed him down onto her bed.

She wasn't expecting him to slip his hands around her waist and pull her down with him. She let out a squeal as he brought her face to his and met her lips in a fiercely possessive kiss that left her breathless. Jess let her body sink onto his, her legs on either side of his hips. She pushed her tongue into his mouth quickly, and swiped it across his repeatedly. Becker groaned deeply and speared his fingers through her hair, making sure to hold her closer to him. His other hand slid down her side and around to her lower back where it skimmed the tiny strip of bare skin where her shirt had ridden up. She gasped as the hand on her back pulled her closer, forcing her pelvis to push against his. Encouraged by her response to his actions, he let his hand drift lower to squeeze her arse and grind her against him again and again.

Jess' moan was swallowed by Becker's kiss, and her hands came down to his waist to try and pull his shirt up so she could feel the skin beneath. She let out a soft cry of frustration when he held her too close for her to be successful, but she was quickly distracted again by him rolling them over so he was on top. She moved to try to yank his shirt off again, but he pulled away enough for her to lose her grip. Now that he had finally released her lips, she gulped in air, her pulse flying. He lowered his forehead to press against hers as he got his breath back as well. "Promise me that you won't leave the flat alone," he said between pants.

She gave him an honest gaze. "I told you, I'm not planning on leaving at all."

"Please, Jess."

She could see the flash of fear in his eyes and wondered how she'd never noticed it before when he was worried. She leaned up and pressed her lips sweetly onto his. "I promise," she vowed as she slowly slid out from under him (smirking to herself when he groaned and tensed at the feel of her body pressing against him more intimately than necessary for the action) before pulling away and standing up. Willing his body to calm itself, Becker rolled onto his back and moved up on the bed to rest his head on her pillow as she draped a red throw over his legs. She then laid down next to him and gently ran her fingers through his hair, eliciting a quiet groan from him that made her smile in triumph.

"Wake me when the others get here," he told her.

"Sure, Hil," she replied, rolling her eyes. She had no intention of waking him before he had at least a few hours' sleep.

"Jess…" he said, warningly.

"We'll see," she answered, her hand's movement through his hair never ceasing. 10 minutes later, she could practically feel his weight on the bed increase as he finally relaxed and his breathing evened out. She stayed like that, lying next to him with her head propped up on one hand as she continuously ran her fingers through his soft hair, for another 15 minutes or so. Once she was satisfied that he was fully asleep, she grabbed her mobile off the nightstand and went back out to her den.

45 minutes, 2 phone calls and one shower later, Jess opened the door to find her 4 colleagues outside again. Having already filled them in on what had happened, the small talk was avoided entirely. Jess was hacking into the CCTV to see if she could spot Becker's spy while Abby and Matt worked together in the flat and on the street to see if they could find this person's vantage point. Connor and Emily, meanwhile, were looking into Jess and Abby's history.

About an hour and a half after the group started, Becker woke to the sound of hushed voices. They were too quiet to hear what they were actually saying, but he immediately knew what they were talking about by the tense tones. He stayed completely frozen in place for a moment, holding his breath until he heard the one voice he so needed to hear.

Jess. His Jess. Well, now she was, at least.

He allowed himself to relax a bit as he picked her sweet voice out from all the rest. She'd actually let him kiss her and hold her last night. And then there was that kiss this morning…he hadn't been able to resist taking it further, despite the niggling feeling that they were being watched. She'd felt far too good in his arms, all soft skin and sweet-smelling, warm and pliant against his onslaught.

Why on earth she'd chosen to let him into her life he'd never know, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially since he'd been waiting to kiss her practically since they'd first met. And now that he had, he wanted to again as soon as possible, hopefully in the same manner as before at the very least.

She'd been driving him mad since they'd met, with her short skirts, high heels and gorgeous smile. Her sweet disposition was what had initially drawn him in, and he'd found himself going out of his way to flirt with her whenever he could. As they'd grown closer as friends, his feelings had started to bubble to the surface more and more whenever he was around her. He couldn't even count the number of times that he'd been tempted to grab her out of her chair at work, hike her skirt up around her waist and bury himself in her.

Becker had often wondered if things would have gone differently that one day in the locker room if he hadn't been so upset about the school incident. There had been several dreams since then that played the scenario out differently, all of them ending up with the pair of them in various states of undress and her screaming as he thrust into her wet heat. Of, if only she knew the thoughts that ran through his head when he saw her…

Not wanting to miss anything he hadn't already, Becker shook himself from his thoughts before his imagination really started to run away, raised himself into a sitting position and swung his legs over the side of the bed just as the door opened.

"Hey sleepyhead," Jess said quietly as she slipped into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hey," he said back, offering her a smile that she returned immediately. He was thankful it was dark in the room to hide the slight blush he had after the way he'd just been thinking about her.

"I'm surprised you're awake already," she confessed.

He shot her another grin. "I don't need much sleep to function," he replied back. She was standing just inside the doorway, looking a bit shy, so he reached out for her. She moved forward from her position and allowed him to pull her closer. She stepped in between his legs as he wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. Jess gently threaded her fingers through his dark hair, and he closed his eyes for a moment just to savour the feel of her so close. When his eyes reopened he found her staring at him with a caring gaze. Giving into the urge he'd had a few minutes earlier, Becker leaned up towards her, tightening his grip on her body, and kissed her.

Jess let out a sigh as she melted into the kiss. She knew that the others were right outside, and the last thing she wanted was for Connor to come looking for her and find them like this. But he tasted so good…

Becker felt her sigh and took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He pulled her down so that she was straddling his lap, and continued to kiss her as his hands began to wander. His fingers trailed along her waist to her front, and slid along her ribs. He felt her stomach muscles tense under his touch and her hands tightening their grip on his hair, and he smirked into her mouth.

Jess couldn't think of anything other than his touch. She'd wanted him in this way for as long as she'd known him, and to suddenly be on the receiving end of his passionate attention was beyond her wildest imagination. She met him slow, languid kiss for slow, languid kiss as she rolled her hips unconsciously into his. When his hands moved up a bit higher to mould to her breasts, she let out a whimper. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew they had to stop. It was just so hard to try and focus on thinking about anything other than the feel of him wrapped this close in her arms, his body pulsing between her legs as she rocked into him.

After a moment, Jess gathered her willpower and pulled back a bit. They stayed silent for a few minutes, foreheads resting against the others, panting from their embrace. When she finally felt that she'd recovered enough of herself to speak, she tried to lighten the situation. "You planning on hiding in here all day?" she teased.

"That depends," he replied. When she shot him a quizzical gaze, he tightened his arms around her as he elaborated. "I will if you will."

She blushed at his wink and smirk, and gave him a gentle smack on the arm. "Captain Becker, behave! We have company on the other side of that door and have already been in here long enough for them to start jumping to conclusions!"

"First of all, their conclusions would be correct," he said, squeezing her waist again where his hands had come to rest. "Secondly, that's never stopped Connor or Abby before," he countered, waggling his eyebrows at her as he leaned in for another kiss before standing them both up. Jess giggled at his antics, and moved to the corner of the room. She grabbed a power cord from her laptop bag, smoothed her hair down, and gave him one more quick kiss before reopening the door and leading the way back to their friends.

Connor and Abby gave him a silent nod as they continued what they were doing, while Emily came over to give him a proper greeting. When he looked around the room and saw Matt missing, she explained that he was walking around in the neighbourhood, trying to find where their 'spy' had been stationed. Becker immediately joined Emily and Abby in their work, while Jess went back to her spot next to Connor and continued hacking away.

"I've got something," Matt's voice said over the comms about a half hour later. He gave them an address very close by, stating that someone he'd spoken to there had mentioned something off about a set of triplets that had entered the apartment complex two nights prior.

At the word 'triplets', Becker, Connor and Abby had exchanged a worried glance. The last time they'd encountered a set of triplets, it hadn't ended well.


	5. Reasons

_A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay, everyone! This chapter has been ready to go since last weekend, but it's been a gong show of a week. I was being evaluated on my teaching, and instead of posting this last weekend to relax me, I decided to have a freak-out about it instead. I'm still waiting on the results, but thought I'd get this out at long last. It's a bit of a filler chapter, but since I'm all caught up on everything with school, I can spend this cold, snowy weekend writing! Here's hoping I'll be posting something a bit sooner than last time (3 weeks is far too long). Happy February!_

************ 5 ************

"So, wait, let me get this straight," Emily said after Connor's explanation was over. "Helen Cutter was able to create clones?"

Connor nodded, his normal, easy smile missing from his face. "She basically created an army of them," he told her.

"Trained them to be her own personal brute squad," Abby added.

"So the fact that Matt and Becker are currently out chasing a set of triplets that they think have been spying on us, does that mean that Helen's back?" Jess asked, her voice nervous. She'd never had the displeasure of dealing with Helen Cutter, but felt that she had a pretty good grasp on what she was like based on her teammates' descriptions.

"For all our sakes, I really hope not," Becker said over the comm units.

"I couldn't agree more," Connor added, venom seeping into his voice at the thought of seeing his mentor's killer again.

"We don't know for sure that it is her," Matt stated, trying to diffuse the tension. "Danny told Lester that he'd watched her get killed by a raptor, so let's not jump the gun on this. We'll watch the place for a few days and see what comes up. It could be a total fluke."

"Yes, because we're THAT lucky," Abby commented, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Everyone let out a small laugh at that.

"Ok, then how about this," Matt tried again. "We leave a few plain clothes guards in the area for the day while we get our lab techs to run Jess and Abby's blood samples to see if we can get a lead on their parents. Then, we all go out for the girls' birthday as planned, since there won't be anything else we can do about any of this today."

Everyone argued over it for a few minutes, before all accepting that this really was the best course of action. While they weren't totally happy at the idea of doing nothing, there was nothing they could actually do without further proof. After getting back to Jess' apartment, Becker got on the phone to the ARC, ordering his four best soldiers to alternately patrol the area in the hopes that they'd see something out of the ordinary. Jess had also discovered that one of the units in the building was up for sale, so they would each take a turn going in to look at it, and hopefully run into one of the triplets at the same time.

Connor was the one to quietly voice to Abby that they were grasping at straws, but neither of them brought it up to the others – there was too much at stake if there were actually still clones around from Helen's reign of terror. Besides, everyone was getting frustrated at the fact that so many questions were popping up and they didn't have a single answer.

The soldiers took less than an hour to get assembled and briefed (via comms) by Becker, and once they were all settled in their places, the main team escorted the newfound sisters to the ARC.

"I hate this part," Jess stated bluntly from atop a bed in the medical bay, cringing and looking away as a medic carefully put the needle in her arm. "Seriously, I can handle getting injections and giving blood, but the needle going in is the worst part of it all."

On the bed next to her, Abby's gaze was fixed on the ceiling. "You're a better person than me," she admitted. "I can't watch or stand any part of it."

"Don't worry, ladies," Jess' medic reassured them. "We'll be done in just a few minutes." True to his word, after only a couple more minutes of mindless small talk, the medics hand removed the needles and ordered the girls to keep pressure on the injection sites while they waited for the all-clear to leave.

"Abs?" The woman in question turned her head to see her sister (man, that was going to take some getting used to) staring nervously at the gauze she was holding to her arm. "Are we sure we want to do this?"

"What, figure out who our parents are?" Abby asked, a bit confused.

"It's just…" Jess trailed off, unsure of how to say what was on her mind. To her credit, Abby waited patiently until she was ready to speak. "What if we find out something bad about them? Like, what if they're criminals? Or worse…"

"What if we can't find out who they are?" Abby finished for her. At Jess' gentle nod, Abby pushed ahead. "I've always been worried about that. We could live our whole lives with the 'what ifs' of it all, or answer them as best we can. But don't you want to know where I got my strength? Or where you got your smarts? Or where we got the ridiculous birthmarks on our right shoulders?" Jess couldn't help but giggle, but quickly seemed to go back to her initial sad appearance. "Jess," Abby said, trying to get her attention. When she saw a pair of bright blue eyes meet her own, she went on. "It's going to be ok."

"How can you be so sure?"

Abby smiled at her. "Because 24 hours ago, I didn't have a sister and now I do. Because no matter who our parents are or were, that doesn't change who we are. Because we both have people in our lives who care for us and who will help us through whatever we find. Because no matter what comes out of this, we'll be there for each other until the end."

By the time Abby had finished her speech, Jess had tears in her eyes. Completely disregarding the instructions of the medic, she rose from her bed, walked over to Abby's and laid down next to her as her older sister pulled her into a hug. "I'm really glad you're my sister," she whispered after a moment's silence. Abby grinned and hugged her tight.

Unfortunately, luck and the quiet didn't stay with them. Within a minute of Jess' last confession, the blaring alarms and flashing red lights of the anomaly detector went off, causing both girls to spring from the bed, ready or not, and hurry towards Ops.


End file.
